The document describes issues at a Body Shop location such as unrealistic sales goals set by a young female manager, public criticism of employees, and a competitive environment that led to disengaged workers. To address these problems, the recommendations are to add holistic performance measures beyond just numbers, set goals using the SMART criteria, provide private constructive feedback through a human relations model, and inspire teamwork and creative problem solving to make work more enjoyable.

1. Hacking the Problem
Leading Change in Management
Chris Mata

2. The Body Shop
• Classic retail story gone bad
• Location Emeryville, CA
• Sales of cosmetic products
• 10 employee, 1 young female manager

3. The story
• Expected to meet sales goals, membership card signups, and keep up
with an average minimum transaction amount
• Overambitious manager that sets unrealistic sales goals
• Forced competition resulting in disengaged sales associates.
• Commissions didn’t exist yet the store operated as if it were
• Associates fight over customers and push sales tactics
• Praised for meeting goals and scolded if you didn’t.
• Manager criticized individual performance in front of coworkers
• Associates were also blamed for customers not making purchases.
• The manager ran an “every man for himself” store with no incentives
for teamwork and created a place where no associate wanted to be.

4. Developing Holistic
Performance Measures
Barrier: Everything was about numbers. Praise for
meeting goals or scolded if you didn’t”
HACK: Adding & changing performance indicators

5. • No “sticks and carrots”
• Employee Related:
 Growth & skills development
• Operating Indicators:
 Reliability, on-time
 Errors/returns, Cost of quality
• CS Indicators:
 Overall CS, Compliments vs. complaints, customer retention
• Financial Performance:
 Sales as a team, notional margin, return and exchange rates

6. Increasing Trust &
Reducing Fear
Barrier: Unrealistic sales goals
HACK: SMART Goals

7. Humanizing the Language
of Business
Barrier: “Manager criticized individual
performance in front of coworkers”
HACK: Human Relations Model

8. Guidelines for Giving Feedback:
• Motivation, ensure receiver open and ready to hear you
out
• Feedback given in private place that allows for dialogue
• Give the receiver time to respond
• Develop a joint action plan to positively improve the
behavior

9. Taking the Work Out of Work
& Amplify Imagination
Barrier: “The pressure forced competition and resulted
in disengaged sales associates”
HACK: Inspire teamwork, creative problem solving &
make work fun!

11. Recommendation
Summary
1. Adding and changing performance indicators
2. Setting SMART goals
3. Conduct frequent constructive evaluations in a closed
off area to avoid distractions
4. Inspire teamwork, not competition between employees
to reach goals, and make work fun!